Anubis on The Thames

Guest post by Naomi Ozaniec

On the 3rd of October 2007 Anubis entered the city of London. His presence embodied in a statue 25ft high was floated upon the Thames on a barge. Traveling by water to the heart of the capital to promote the forthcoming Tutankhamun exhibition, this current procession presents us with an image not witnessed for millennia: a god rides upon the waters in triumphal entry to make way for the coming of the king.

For the Egyptians this was a familiar scene; the sacred sailing upon the waters was an event of great significance. The Nile like the Thames was the life-blood to a nation. For the Egyptians however the river itself was held to be sacred- a connection we have severed at our cost.

When great rivers become merely utilitarian waterways something invaluable is cast away.

Perhaps the startling image of the god riding upon the waters might jog the collective memory towards a moment of awakening.

Anubis, called, ‘the opener of the ways’ is a fitting figure to open this new Egyptian presentation. The face of the boy-king has become a global icon; it gazes back at us as we gaze upon it, and in that brief moment as his image becomes imprinted in the mind, we glimpse the Egyptian aspiration to honour and sanctify the divine life.

The image of Anubis in his familiar resting pose was placed within Tutankhamun’s tomb. The jackal face guardian of the Duat as the guardian of the necropolis like a faithful and most beloved dog was ready to lead the soul of the king back to the greater world.

But the less familiar image of Anubis as a jackal headed young man carries a different message. He is The Keeper of the Great Door. What lies beyond the portal is for the true spiritual seeker to discover. But in the time honored tradition, “Ask and it shall be given, knock and it shall be opened.”

At this time of spiritual renewal, Anubis comes to London. Ostensibly his figure invites the world to gaze on the outer mysteries of Egyptian glory but for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, his appearance is as the emissary to the inner mysteries of being and becoming.

Though the outer form has passed away, the spiritual heart still lives and Anubis stands it the threshold where he offers the ankh, the key of life to all who ask.

Entering London upon the Thames, Anubis also brings the gifts of Isis for the great river is sourced from the Thameshead in Gloucestershire and flows from there to Oxford where it is known as the Isis.

In this living synchronicity, nature brings the Egyptian tradition to London, one of the great spiritual centres of the word. For some, Anubis comes as a talismanic act, revivifying an ancient tradition.

For others he comes merely at the behest of smart publicists as part of an advertising campaign. But advertising must imprint its message into the collective mind to be successful and as an archetypal image Anubis already exists in the collective imagination.

Presenting his form in this startling and powerful manner serves as an invocation even if not intended. Archetypal powers cannot be confined to suit publicity professionals.

The Millennium Dome offers its own invitation. Its logo the O2 sign is the chemical symbol for oxygen which is vital to life, indeed to the breath of life itself. In Egyptian iconography the ankh is often extended to the nose so that its gift of life may be breathed in.

Where such life affirming symbols compliment each other, so enrichment and enhancement must surely follow.

Anubis comes to the capital city where wealth and power reside. His unspoken message is not one of reproach for the Egyptians enjoyed both wealth and power. But he comes to remind us that shared wealth heals and power under wisdom liberates.

Egyptian glory whether through the arts or in building was servant to a sacred philosophy which affirmed the inherent divinity of life.

The tomb of the boy-king is rich with this encoded message. Symbols of life, eternal and undying abound in his resting place both to honour his physical life and prepare his soul for a new life.  His face, framed for eternity comes as friend from the distant past reminding us of a different world view and asking us to look at the world we have created.

Without a word being spoken, the boy-king and the guardian god together bring a healing message from the past to the present

Appearing on no less than 75 TV stations in America and spread via the internet, in silent eloquence they come to announce a forgotten philosophy to a world in need of reminding.

Naomi Ozaniec is the Custodian of the House of Life. She is a priestess, author and workshop facilitator. Naomi’s books include practical guides to many aspects of the Western Mystery Tradition. For more information see Amazon and www.thehouseoflife.co.uk

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